folk lore and ghost towns explored

In the technology and digital age, being removed from the rest of humanity is difficult. We need each other for a variety of necessities and doing any sort of job without some technology involved is nearly impossible for those in the United States. But there’s one man who went close to thirty years without technology or even speaking to another person – the North Pond Hermit.

Prisons and asylums have long been a part of haunted lore – the violence and abuse that have happened and continues to happen make for an exceptionally tragic history but ample ground for ghost stories. One of the most famous of these places is Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania.

Each year on March 17th, celebrations occur around the world to honor Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The current celebrations seem to be more removed from the actual saint but the Irish ties remain strong. There are parades, drinking of Irish beer and whiskey, wearing green and so much more.

We, as a society, seem to be obsessed with true crime and the morbidly horrifying. Pop culture is filled with shows, podcasts, and films about true crime and we can’t seem to get enough. The podcast Casefile True Crime has maintained a large audience over the last year; several shows and documentaries have come out about O.J. Simpson and his trial; Netflix recently released a documentary about Amanda Knox; and a mini series about JonBenet was released last year.

There is one case that remains open after 75 years and theories range from a Nazi spy ring to witch craft. The heart of the case comes down to a single question: who put Bella in the old wych elm?

The LaLaurie Mansion is a three-story mansion located in the French Quarter of New Orleans and while the outside of the mansion is rather plain, the history behind it is anything but. If you’re a fan of the show American Horror Story and saw the third season, you might be a bit familiar with the leading lady of this tale.

I do have to warn you: this story deals with explicit descriptions of torture and slavery.

One of the many wonders of the internet, in addition to having cat videos at the tip of your finger, is that there are a variety of already planned road trips. There are even planned road trips with specific themes, including ones that visit ghost towns. Road trips were always my family’s go to vacation trip while I was growing up – they gave us the chance to take family vacations during school breaks without having to break the bank with flights and camping around Washington is always wonderful during the summer.

With that sentiment, I thought I’d share a few of the planned road trips that already exist!

Dolls are often a fond childhood memory for many – cultures around the world have ones made of different materials for different reasons and each person will bring their own meaning to each doll. Some dolls are used as toys for children, while others have been used in magic and religious rituals for centuries. But while many dolls are frequently beloved by their person now, there’s one doll that has supposedly brought terror to many.

The Winchester Mystery House is located in San Jose, California and is a large mansion filled with architectural oddities. There are stairs and doors that go nowhere, other stairs with various steps, stair posts were installed upside down, and chimneys that have no purpose. These oddities, and the many more that exist in the house, were intentional and the person behind the house kept construction going for close to 40 years.

Each year in many places around the world, a day of love is celebrated. Cards are sent out, candy and flowers given, and elaborate dates are planned. While Valentine’s Day is extremely well known and commercial now, the exact history of the day is a bit murkier.

Tucked away in the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest, there are some abandoned buildings surrounding by acres of land. These buildings, while beautiful in a way that only abandoned places can be, are rumored to also be home to ghosts of those who lived and died on the property. These buildings were, at one point in history, a part of the Northern State Hospital.